Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 61 
loured figures in the book before us prove that reduced representations 
when carefully done and coloured (as these figures are) are more 
useful to the scientific man than large folio volumes, however gorgeous 
and magnificent. 
In Germany, his fine work on the Ramphastide has been copied on 
a reduced scale; it is a pity that so spirited and talented a man should 
not have all the results of the profit of such books.—A. W. 
Arran and Excursions to Arran, with reference to the Natural History 
of the Island. By the Rev. Davip LanpsBorovucu. 1847. John- 
stone. 
This excellent work should have been printed without its prefa- 
tory matter, and it would have been noticed by us earlier, but for 
the difficulty we felt about referring to a poem in a scientific Journal. 
‘The poem of Arran however only occupies 80 pages of a book of 
367 pages, so that the gifted and amiable author of it should have 
published the poem separate, and the excursions separate, or at least 
given the prominence and preface to the larger and (to us) more 
valuable portion of his book. In a future number we intend to give 
some extracts from these very interesting excursions, which will 
show such as are not acquainted with them, that they have another 
** Journal of a Naturalist,” and a decidedly originally-treated natural 
history of Arran, which would have delighted Gilbert White of Sel- 
borne. With the works of the Rev. D. Landsborough and the geo- 
logical and picturesque descriptions of Professor Ramsay, Arran, the 
Queen of Scotland's Islands, behind ‘‘ whose northern battlement of 
hills” we have witnessed more than one glorious sunset, the visitor 
will find most excellent guides. We have tested them both; they 
should be printed in one volume.—A. W. 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 
Noy. 9, 1848.—The Rev. Dr. Fleming, President, in the Chair. 
The President opened the meeting by making a few observations 
on the flourishing state of the Society. He alluded to the interesting 
communications which had been read during the past session, many 
of which had been published in the Society’s Transactions ; and con- 
cluded by expressing a hope that the ensuing session might be 
equally prosperous. 
Numerous donations to the Museum and Library were announced, 
and thanks ordered to be returned for them. 
The following communications were read :— 
1. ‘‘ Algze Orientales, or Descriptions of new species belonging to 
the genus Sargassum”’ (part 3), by R. K. Greville, LL.D. (Ann. Nat. 
Hist. vol. ii. S. 2. p. 431.) 
2. “ Stirpes Cryptogame Sarnienses, or Contributions towards the 
